Toward a definable "Industrial" style, Pt.2 (Full Article)
Toward a definable "Industrial" style, Pt.2
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POSTED ON: 03/10/11 23:07:03 |
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To recap and further define the last one:
8-12 second blends for bpm ranges no greater than 3 or so unless one has a computer and can adjust tempo to spread the difference out so that the following song doesn't bear the adjustment burden entirely. If Song A can also change and meet song B in the middle, then blends can be used for bpm ranges up to 5 or so. My rule of thumb for bpm adjustment is about 1 beat of shifting for every 10 seconds or so. Thus, if I'm blending between a song that's at 128 and a following song that is at 133 (that's a really big jump to beat-match but it can still sound good with sufficient massaging) then it takes almost an entire minute (50 secs, roughly) to move up from 128 to 133. The actual blend cross-fade doesn't start until the very middle of that 50 seconds. * I've also noticed, over time, that although it's not a huge issue, most Goth/Industrial fans WILL complain if they don't get to hear almost all of their songs. This is markedly different than the expectation on a mainstream Electronic dancefloor (OR, amusingly enough, in a Strip Club) where songs are liberally chopped to pieces with bits played here and there OR, the DJ will cut a 6 minute song down to 3.5 minutes because he/she has been taught that tracks longer than that start to tax people's attention span. It is said (I don't know if it's true) that the ideal radio "hit" is 3:23 long because longer times run the risk of boring people. Hence, mainstream dancefloors will usually transition from one song to the next at a pretty rapid pace. It makes me wonder why mainstream artists (especially trance artists!) produce stuff that's 6 minutes long or even 8 minutes long. Anyway, Goths don't like this...they wanna hear the whole damn song...or at least ALMOST the whole damn song. Some of them even like it when the long non-percussive intros to certain songs get played and the beat or energy of a floor is killed because they get a bit of drama from it. Here's a very typical example of a track with a long intro that a House DJ would chop right off without even thinking about it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aGj0Q9UztnI To me, this song doesn't really get going until 39 secs in although one could make an argument that for 28 secs as well. A House DJ would either mix in at 39 or even as late as 57 secs. Heimataerde fans might accept 39 secs but they'd definitely be pissed if the DJ came fully in at 57. So, a definable Industrial DJ style should include a careful consideration of in and out points that are similar but not quite the same as House or Trance would have them do it. DJs should come in as early as they possibly can without killing their level of "energy" and/or the overall tempo of the mix. Further, they should mix out as late as possible as well. For the above song, it keeps on going at a high level of energy and with meaningful content all the way until the end. That's right ya'll...I'd let this one play right up to it's very last second with the following track coming up underneath it so that it's at full volume and fully mixed in right at the end. For an example of a track in the genre where I'd choose to mix out differently but still stay in as long as possible, see here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AIGHsMe30ME In case any of you are interested, I'd choose the point between :23 and :24 OR the point between :38 and :39 to be fully mixed in...one could also come in at :57 or :58 but one would risk irritating the fans of the song. And I'd go out at 5:09 because although the track lasts until 5:26, at 5:09, it's clearly on the wind down and all the meaningful parts of the song are done. A House DJ might start mixing out at 4:47, in fact, the more I think about it, the more pretty sure that 4:47 would be the point they'd find the most attractive. Again, that would be risky because Industrial fans are used to different things than House fans are. So...mix in earlier and out later if at all possible. |
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